


The Politics of Caring

by Ivycollins



Category: Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 08:18:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13142688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ivycollins/pseuds/Ivycollins
Summary: Reggie’s car is a beast now, and he’s having trouble handling it. He goes to Betty for a little discreet help.





	1. Prologue - 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Long Ago

**Author's Note:**

  * For [heatherkw](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heatherkw/gifts).



> This was written for the Riverdale Secret Santa Exchange 2017

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas – Many years ago

Betty trudged silently through the snow, reading the markers she passed.

     She, Polly, and her mom had come to Peace Hill Cemetery, to bring roses and light a candle for Grandma and Grandpa Cooper. They came each Christmas Eve, and when the lighter she brought hadn’t worked, Mama Cooper had sent Betty back to the car for the box of matches in the emergency kit. Betty was taking her time getting back.  
      As long as Betty was gone, Mom would make Polly help pick up the leaves and tidy the family plot, but as soon as Betty got back, Polly would be on her phone, and Betty would be doing all the work. Polly said it was to make up for all the years she had to do it on her own before Betty was allowed to come on the outing. Besides, Betty reasoned, she wasn’t wasting her time, the gravestones really were interesting. She was reading them as she slid the small box in her hands open and closed again.  
                                                “Marcus Marigold 1901 – 1943 Survived one, but not the other.”

Marcus was 42, she figured. She wondered what this Marcus had survived, and why he hadn’t be lucky a second time.

  
                                                “Susanna Summers 1946 – 2000 May we see her again”

Susanna’s family, Betty guessed, must have been really religious, and she was...54 when she died.

  
                                                “Richard Mantle 1990 – 2005 He was good”

Richard was only 15 when he died. Betty paused and looked at his marker. How sad.

     “Who are you?” Betty wasn’t expecting the voice, and dropped the matches in her shock.  
     “Oh no, oh no, oh no. I’m dead, I’m dead.” She dropped to her knees, and fumbled in the snow, hoping that some hadn’t gotten wet, or that they were at least still dry enough to light.  
     No such luck.  
     Betty looked up at the kid that startled her. He was skinny, his jacket too big for his body, and the hood pulled down low. She narrowed her eyes in fury. This idiot was going to get her killed.  
     “You stupid! Why would you sneak up on me like that?!” Betty knew better than to call people stupid. But this kid deserved it.  
     “Clumsy. You were the one standing at my grave.” It was such an odd statement that Betty’s fear and anger vanished under the weight of her curiosity.  
     “Your grave?”  
     He waved at the one she was standing in front of. “He’s family.” The overlong sleeve of his coat flapped with the motion, making him seem vaguely like a penguin.  
     She looked from the marker to the skinny boy, trying to decide if her question was rude or insensitive.  
     “What?” He tilted his head back as he asked, giving her a good look at his pointy face under the hood.  
     “I was wondering if it said he was good because he wasn’t alive long enough to make real mistakes and for people to get mad at him.”  
     The boy barked out a laugh.  
     “People were mad alright. They hated him.” He pulled the coat closer around him.  
     “Why?” Why would anyone hate a 15 year old? Betty stepped forward, and tilted her head down to get a better look at his face.  
     “Because he wanted them to like him. He cared. When you do that, people like to show you how much they don’t. Mom says that it’s a miracle from God he got himself killed the way he did, otherwise the church wouldn’t have let him be buried here in the family plot.” He waved dismissively further along the path she had been walking. “As it is, Mom put him in the corner with the war heroes. Hoping some of it will rub off I guess.” He shrugged and put his hands back into his jeans.  
     “Some of what?”  
     “Guts. Ricky wasn’t very brave.” He looked up at the sky, and blinked a few times.  
     “How did he die?”  
     “Drugs.”  
     “I’m sorry.”  
     “I’m not. I’m smarter. Listen, give me those matches.”  
     “Why?”  
     “I’m saving you. Give ‘em”  
     She passed them over to the boy, and he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small candle in a jar, and his own box of matches. He lit the candle, and placed it on the small marker for the boy who was good. He turned back, and handed her the box.  
     “I’m guessing you needed them, here.”  
     “Thanks, you’re sweet.” Betty gave him her brightest smile.  
     “I’m not sweet. Ricky was. Now he’s dead.” Her radiance had no effect on his sullen mood.  
     “I thought you said he did drugs? Sweet kids don’t do drugs.”  
     “How would you know? I bet you don’t even know what drugs are. And anyway, that was just at the end, to make it look like it wasn’t a suicide. He knew it’d break mom’s heart if he wasn’t in the family plot. Even dying, he made sure to worry about everyone else first. I told you, Ricky cared. He cared so much it killed him.” His voice had grown quieter with each sentence until Betty was sure he wasn’t really talking to her at all. He hunched in on himself, curling his shoulders and arms until he looked like an old man with back pain. She threw her arms around him.  
     “I’m sorry you lost him. It doesn’t seem sweet of him to have left you.”  
     “He said he knew I was tough, and I’d make it fine without him.” His words were muffled in the oversized coat that Betty realized must have belonged to the older brother who left him too soon.  
     “Still. I’m sorry.”  
     “BETTY!!!”  
     “Yikes! That’s my mom. I’ve gotta go!”  
     “Yeah, whatever. Listen. Blondie. You tell anyone I said any of this-”  
     “Don’t worry. You can trust me.” She smiled as she hopped backwards, dropping her arms to her side, then turned and ran to where her mother was waiting.  
     “Who was that Betty?”  
     “A ghost!” Her mother sighed and rolled her eyes, accepting the small box of matches her daughter offered her.


	2. The Request

Many Years Later - Shortly After the Race Against the Ghoulies

 

      “Princess Bubblegum!!” Reggie dodged around Moose, whom he had been welcoming back after his surgery, and sprinted after the blond ponytail disappearing into the crowd.

      Betty turned to see Reggie chasing her down the hall.

      “Hey Reggie. Does that make you Lemongrab?” She’s rewarded with the uncharacteristic flash of a genuine smile.

      “Pop culture suits you, Betty. Listen, my car is doing this thing. Ever since you messed with it for Dumb and Dumber’s Dumbest Plan to Ever Dumb, it’s been acting up.” Reggie wrapped his finger and thumb around her wrist while he walked backwards, a habit he had developed when they were camp buddies all four summers of middle school.

      “What thing?”

      He scanned the hallway for eavesdroppers before leaning in. “Listen, you know how in Mario Kart, the 50cc is the easiest, and then you jump to the 150cc and you’re flying off Rainbow Road?”

      She wasn’t sure what was funnier; the idea that Reggie worried someone might hear him making a Mario Kart reference, or that it’s some dark secret that he can’t handle a modded engine. The idea of him spinning out into a tree, though, wiped the smile from her face.

      “Yeah, I opened things up pretty free and loose in there. You want me to fix it? I can make her roadworthy again, pretty easily.” She bit down the smile tugging at her lips. Reggie didn’t have much of a sense of humor for being laughed at, and he wouldn’t appreciate her pointing out that she had only made the outside of his swank sports car match the inside,

      “You’re the best Betts. I’ve got a date tomorrow, so can it be tonight? I need to be the master of my beast to impress the ladies.”

      “Phrasing Reggie! I can’t have these images. I _can_ be by around seven, though.”

      He treated her to the trademarked “Mantle Smirk of Charm #3” as he sauntered away.

      She shook her head and slipped into her class, mentally rearranging her plans for tonight. It was only fair to return his car to its pristine state. Well, he might like some of her changes to stay. Maybe the equivalent of 100cc in Mario Kart. With that decided, and an idle thought about who Reggie was going out with tomorrow, Betty directed her attention to Mr. Flutesnoot.


	3. Reggie's House - That Afternoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty delivers on her promises.

     “What’s the verdict, doctor?” Reggie asked as he came down from his back door.

     Betty wiped off her hands, and brushed her hair away from her nose with her wrist as she straightened to look at Reggie. She’d walked over from her house, and had been working on things under the hood for about 15 minutes or so. His mom had already brought out a lemonade, (store-bought) and promised to let Reggie know she was here.  

     “Well, originally, I did everything I could to get as much oxygen into the combustion chamber as possible.” She turned to him, and gestured behind her at his pride and joy “It’s fine for a short race, but for driving around town, it’s pointless. I’ll leave the filter, and the mod chip Dilton’s designed. That works like a dream, and not having impurities from the air in your engine is only sense. I’ll take off the other pieces I put on, and then we’ll take it for a test run, and see how you like it.” She started sorting the tools she’d need, laying them out on a tray in the order she’d need them.

     “So, basically, you’re asking me to take you for a ride?” He thrust his hips, to give his remark as much crude effect as possible.

     “I’m ignoring that classless innuendo. Pass me that wrench, please.”

     “You wanted class, you’d have stayed at school.” He moved over to the tool bench, and brought her the tool she had pointed to.

     “Reggie, that joke doesn’t even make sense.”

     “Sure it does.”

     “No, school is over. Anyway I’m the one taking you for a ride. I need to _feel_ the car’s reactions and the whole vibe.”

     “Dammit woman, you’re a mechanic, not a priest.”

     “Reggie, we both know that you’re 5th in our class. I don't buy the cool jackass jock with a low IQ story, so, in the interests of full disclosure, I recognize _Star Trek_ references when you make them.”

     “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Blondie, I only care about dames, cars, and making money. And being my beautiful self of course.” Reggie ended his list with a gesture that encompassed his physique.

     “I can’t believe you missed a chance for a _Don Jon_ reference.” She stepped back from the hood, and dropped a piece of machinery onto the other end of her tray.

     “You’d have made it yourself if you knew enough about the movie. You're such a priss. Also, I don’t need porn when I have access to the real thing right here.” He gestured to Betty, wearing coveralls and smeared in grease.

     “You’re not usually this mean when  you don’t have an audience.”

     “Damn, Roger Rabbit did a number on you. I wasn’t being mean Betts. This is Grade A fantasy material right here. We’re alone, you’re doing me a favor, you get my jokes, you’ve let go of Perfect Betty enough to get messy. This is how half my dreams start. Hell, I’ve been trying to find a way to get you to work on my car since a month after I got it.”

     “I can’t tell if Roger Rabbit is Archie for being a redhead, or Jughead for always getting framed for things.” She tossed this over her shoulder as she went back to pulling out tubes, and tossing them over onto the rack. "You've had this car since like, seventh grade."

     “It’s not like you to avoid the point, and we're ignoring how long I've had the car. I meant dipshit Andrews who didn’t know a good thing when it lived next door. Tell me he at least peeked into your bedroom. I can’t imagine having that prime view and wasting it on his milf-chasing dumbass.” Reggie had dragged over a wheeled stool, and was watching her efficient movements with interest.

     “There we go. There’s that Mantle charm. Talking about voyeurism and vague sexual harassment under the guise of paying someone a compliment. Only surpassed by those moments when you pretend to compliment someone while really just stroking your own ego.”

     “You wanna drop the shit Betts? Okay then.” Betty felt both her excitement and her anxiety spike. It was always safer to let Reggie maintain his jock persona, but it was so much more fun to play with the real him. Right now, though, she lived in a glass house, and Reggie was too good at seeing through things. “Let’s talk about how you’ve been walking around like a zombie for the past few days. You savaged your “Best Friend,” and left her bleeding on the floor of the Five Seasons.” He stood from the stool, and shoved it away. Each sentence brought him closer to her. “You’ve been whispering in corners with Archie, you exposed your mom to public ridicule, and you look like you’ve been crying nonstop.” He was looming in the corner of her vision. A weighty presence to him that he only had when trying to intimidate freshmen. “You’re obviously still in feelings with your less-attractive James Franco, but you kicked him to the curb.”

     Betty froze with her face still buried in the engine. She needed to fix this. She needed Reggie to back off. But she wasn’t going to hurt him. The black hood wasn’t here to make her, and she’d never intentionally do that. Reggie, to those who knew, was a walking, talking exposed nerve of constant pain.

     “What are you talking about Reg? That’s not….You’re imagining things.” Weak, Cooper. Pathetic. It was enough to make him take a step away from her shoulder though.

     “I just can’t understand how you fooled Kev.” Reggie made himself comfortable along the edge of the body, leaning along the side in a pose that would show off his biceps, made the most of his torso, and put her face in his field of vision. The boy could multitask. It made her distracted enough to admit:

     “He was already mad at me for something else.”

     “There’s my girl scout. Seriously, you can’t front for shit. Your other friends suck, how did it get to this? C’mon Betty-girl, tell Reggie all about it. Daddy will make it better.” He ruined his somewhat lascivious remark with a genuine smile of relief. She had worried Reggie Mantle. The world really was upside down.

     “Ew. No Reg. Never call yourself Daddy again.”

     “Fine, save your kink for the cryptkeeper. See if I care. But really, you see the best in everyone, but you tore down V for a little wild fun? All of us at that party knew something was up. But it was later that you really gave yourself away, I mean anyone paying attention at that intervention meeting could see that you’re tortured. Then I heard you and your floppy haired cannibal are no more. So seriously, Betts. What the fuck. What’s going on?”

     “Reggie…I, listen. I got in over my head for a little bit, but I’m better now. It’s all better.”

     “And I’m just supposed to believe that? Damn, Betty. You don’t really know me at all. Do you?”

     “No, Reggie, I know. Believe me. I know. You’re amazing, and not in the ways you pretend. Literally no one else noticed. I mean, even Archie thought I was vicious to Veronica out of spite. You’re such a good- I mean, not around people, around people you’re a psycho jerk, but I get it, and I- just.. Thanks. For asking. For noticing. It means a lot.” Betty tugged at the sleeves of her coverall. She had thought she was drowning, and Kev’s cold shoulder had hurt more than she had let on. Archie’s anger after her cruelty to Veronica she had expected. The boy had a blind spot for V. But Kevin always had her back, and it hurt that he had frozen her out. That Reggie was the one inquiring after her emotional well being was unexpected, but not exactly surprising. He had walls just as thick as hers and Jughead’s. Different walls, made out of different materials. But just as sturdy. Just as old.

     “Yeah, well, you’re delusional. You ‘get it’? What’s to get? I’m a bad boy, Betty. And I’m good at it.” He winked and blew kisses at her, and Betty rolled her eyes to get away from the thought of how pretty he really was. Reggie was damage waiting to happen. Few knew why, but everyone knew Reggie was emotionally unavailable.

     “I remember, Reg. I remember the first time we met.” He straightened from his lounge against the car and walked a few feet away.

     “We met on the playground, Archie picked the two of us for dodgeball. I-” he cut himself off as she shook her head.

     "It was Christmas. At Peace Hill."  
  
     “You’ve never said anything. I figured you didn’t recognize me.” He wouldn't meet her eyes as he confirmed that he remembered their first meeting as well. 

     “Reggie, you were a cute Asian kid in Riverdale, how many of those do you think we had?”

     “You never said anything.”

     “You made me promise not to. Betty Cooper always keeps her promises.”

     “That right?”

     “Yep. Speaking of, c’mon, enough deep conversation. This is ready to go.” She dropped the hood, and waved him to the car. “Let’s take that ride I _promised_.”


	4. Pop's - After the Drive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At Pop's - After the Drive

     “So. Mantle? Really?”

     Betty looked up from her milkshake. Jughead had slid into the booth across from her, and had already started in on her leftover fries. She had driven herself and Reggie to Pop’s where they had shared fries and each had a celebratory milkshake. Reggie’s treat for a job well done. When they passed Jughead on the way in, he was at the picnic tables outside with the rest of the younger Serpents, and when she had waved, she had gotten a nod of acknowledgement in return. It had all felt very Outsiders. During their snack, Veronica had texted that she’d meet Betty there, and she would drop her off at home, later. So Betty had stayed in their booth to wait, while Reggie had said his goodbyes, and gone outside to talk with Moose. 

     “What do you mean?” She asked the boy across from her. 

     “If you’re looking to replace me in our little clique. I’m not sure Mantle is going to provide the appropriate level of misanthropy and miscellaneous trivia.”

     “I understood your inherent criticism of “Mantle,” just not what relevance it had on my day.” She used the finger quotes to emphasize that Jughead didn’t usually call Reggie, whom they had known since elementary school, by his last name.

     “You seemed cozy just now, driving up together.” 

     Betty examined him. Ever since he had moved, his face seemed to be permanently bruised at all times. Healing, only to be bruised in new places. She knew he was taking hits on a lot of sides, and she had added to that in the only place he was truly vulnerable. His heart. This? This, like Reggie’s car, was something she could fix. 

     “I was repaying a favor.” She got to the point. Jughead knew her well enough to pull what was said apart and read what she might not want him to know out of an overly drawn out explanation. 

     “A…favor? Is that what the kids are calling it nowadays? In my day, we called those dates.” His eyes were focused on moving the fries from the plate to his mouth, she was pretty sure it was so he wouldn't have to make eye contact while he acted like a jealous teenager.

     “I’m not dating Reggie.” His eyes snapped to hers, she read a mixture of relief and aggression in them. She bit back her own accusations about a pink haired girl who loved serial killers and drew him into a gang he had wanted nothing to do with sitting in a booth with him early in the morning. She was better than that. Not perfect, but better than that.

     “You’re just out with him, for milkshakes and dinner, and driving his car?” Jughead leaned back as Pop brought out a burger and shake, thanked the older man, and waved off anything else all without breaking eye contact. “As…….a favor.”

     “No, I’m fixing the damage you asked me to do to his engine as a favor. I got paid for my mechanic services with a shake and fries.” Betty pushed away the need to tell him it was none of his damn business and he wasn’t entitled to explanations of her behavior. This was to repair damage. The Black Hood’s hurt wasn’t in making her break up with Jughead, it was in making her damage the solid foundation of trust their relationship was built on. 

     “I’d think Mantle would have been psyched to finally drive a car as badass as it looked. I know it got swept up in a lot of other craziness, but I gotta say Betty, whatever you did, that car was winning. It was flying down the road.” He picked up his burger, and bit into it with relish. Jughead was never happier than when eating. 

     “Thanks Juggie. Dilton’s chip is what brought it all together.” She smiled and toyed with her straw. 

     “Modesty, how quaint.” His crooked smile melted and broke her heart all at once. She wanted this. “But Reggie? He’s having you undo it? At least we know he’s not going to be street racing, I guess. That’s a relief. Riverdale doesn’t need another teen tragedy, this time centered around a car wreck.” Jughead finished his burger, and systematically began demolishing his fries while he waited for her explanation.

     “Not everything, just a couple things. When you get more speed than the rest of the car and engine is designed for, it makes handling tricky.” She twisted her straw wrapper into a knot, and glanced up to watch him eat. 

     “I didn’t have any problems.” The smug grin was almost too much to handle. 

     “I’m sure you didn’t.” She laughed. “Don’t get cocky, Juggie. You were on a straight course, Reg has been driving around town. It's different.” She looked out the window at Reggie who had finished his conversation with Moose, and was now getting into his car. He caught her eye, and waved. She raised her hand to wave back, but he was already gone. Reggie Mantle did not wait to be acknowledged by anyone. She turned back to the table. “So how have you been?” She didn’t think she was imagining the panic that flared in his eyes in the moment before Veronica walked up to their table and interrupted. 

     “Betty, my soul, greetings. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long.” Veronica leaned down to press a kiss to Betty’s cheek, bringing a breath of cold air and perfume with her. 

     “That’s my cue.” Jughead slid out of the booth, and vanished with a wave over his shoulder. 

     “Abrupt much?” Veronica turned and looked at Betty quizzically. 

     “He doesn’t know yet.”

     “B! What are you waiting for?”

     “A game plan?” Betty shrugged. “ How do I explain ‘well, really sweetie, you were a casualty in a guerrilla war I’m waging with the Black Hood to protect the ones I love.’”

     “Yes, Betty. That sounds like a great opener. He thinks you  wanted to break up with him!”

     “Ronnie, I...I don’t know. I don’t have a plan for this. I need a plan.”

     “Ugh, let’s go. We’ll brainstorm on the way home. Your irrational need to meticulously plan out every moment is more trouble than it’s worth.”

     “That’s why you’re the best, V.”


	5. The Whyte Wyrm - That Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reggie tries to milk a snake, with mixed results

     Reggie knew his way around the SouthSide well enough. The Whyte Wyrm was a landmark, anyway. Everyone knew where the Serpents hung their hats. The trick to getting through unmolested was to have enough swagger that it looked like he knew what he was doing, without looking like he cared enough about what he was doing to make him a target. It was a delicate balance, but he had experience. Today he was on a mission to get whatever favors he could by reminding the Serpents that he, Reggie Mantle, didn’t do Jughead Jones favors out of the goodness of his heart. He wasn’t sure what he was going to ask for, he didn't need to, really. He was willing to wing it.

     “Jughead.” He swept up behind Jones at the pool table. This was probably going to be fun. It might get him shivved though, depending on how strongly Jug had embraced his new friends.

     “Reg-gie.” The way Jones pronounced his name always grated. The emphasis on the second syllable, the drawing out of the long e, it raised every hackle Reggie had. “What can we do for you?”

     “I’m not here for your crew. Just you. Andrews is my boy, he can use my car no problem, but I loaned my car out to you for a favor. I expect to get repaid.” The words were barely out of his mouth before a look of unholy glee crossed Jughead’s face. It transformed his sunken eyes, brightened with interest features that had been slack. Reggie’s gut clenched. This can’t be good.

     “But Reginald, we put in all those special features, I would have thought they paid you back well enough. I mean, parts and labor, provided free of charge, now you’ve got a beast that can take down any souped up car you can find on the streets. What more could a purveyor of fine horsepower want?” Jughead delivered the last line with a flourish that guaranteed anyone in the bar who hadn’t been listening now was. Fuck. He knows. “Unless, you know, you want them...removed, or something. I suppose the Wyrm could sell the pieces, and get you cash. For a cut, of course.”

     “Leave the car alone, that’s not what I want.” Reggie lied as his thoughts scrambled. What could he demand? What had he even wanted? Why would she run to Jughead and tell him...Oh. Yeah, he was in the booth with her when Reggie was leaving. Interesting. He could work with that. “Alls I really came here for was to let you know that I’ll accept the favor I did you to be repaid with a favor you do me.”

     “And what is it that Reggie Mantle needs the Serpents for?” Jughead braced himself.

     “Not the damn Serpents. Not everyone is obsessed with your little gang. Just you, I told you.” Reggie angrily cut his hand out into an angry ‘no.’.

     “Okay, what do you want _me_ to do for you?” At least the smirk was gone.

     “Stay away from my girl.” What little sound had been audible ceased. It sounded like the entire room was holding their breath.

     “Your girl?” Jughead’s eyes burned. Reggie knew that he had very few real triggers. Jughead had perfected the art of not caring very much for anything. The two boys understood that about each other in a way that few others among their peers could. “Reg. The entire town knows you don’t know the meaning of the word steady. Jellybean knows this, and she’s in another state. And she's  _ten_.” Jughead’s confusion was masking anger. He knew exactly who Reggie was referring to. Jughead was so easy a target, up to a point. Reggie was really good at pushing the buttons of this particular emo teenager. But usually Reggie couldn’t get him to blow up. Betty was probably the right button to get him to crack.

     “Yeah, well, the right one has always been a little distracted. Then, you know, she was  slumming." He waved his hand in a gesture that encompassed Jughead's entire existence. "But she wisened up. With Andrews involved with Holly Golightly and you over here in the snake tank, it’s my time to shine. So be good, and stay out of my way and in your aquarium.”

     “Vivarium. Anyway Betty said you two aren’t dating.” They had talked about this already? That was excellent. Interesting, and excellent.

     “It’s new.” Reggie congratulated himself on his declarative and confident delivery.

     “She told me what today was about. It wasn’t a date.” Typical Jughead. He kept his cards so close to his chest. He was going to sit on the info about Betty fixing the car until the moment it would do the most damage. He wouldn’t even say it in front of the other Serpents in case it would come in handy later. Reggie had no patience for that kind of strategy in their game. He was a shoot first and plan the cover story later type of guy.

     “See, Juggie, this is why I wonder how you ever got a girl. A lot of things aren’t dates until you look back at them. Betty’s worth the long game. And we all know I’m the best player in Riverdale, at all sports.” Reggie grinned his most obnoxious and victorious: the Mantle #8. It kept the jaw loose, in case the victim tried to get in a lucky shot at the chin. Sadly Jughead kept it together.

     “Whatever Mantle. You should probably go.” The crowd around them murmured. Reggie took his victory for what it was, and made a strategic retreat.


	6. School - Next Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reggie confesses to Betty what he's done

     Betty was at her locker during lunch the next morning when Reggie found her to come clean about his part in the male posturing that took place at the Whyte Wyrm. 

     “You’re welcome.” Reggie decided that discretion might be the better part of valor, but neither of those were his strong points. 

     “For?” Betty had learned both.

     “Starting you down the path to reunion.” Reggie leaned against the locker next to hers while she sorted binders for her after-lunch classes.

     “Reunion with whom?” Betty paused and looked at his face. There was really only one option, and it was absolutely no secret that the two boys loathed each other. Why they fought was a bit of a mystery, but Betty knew them both well enough to have a few strong guesses.

     “ParaNorman.”     

     “Reg, seriously, sometimes your analogies lack any substance.” Betty maintained the cool facade, but internally was Freaking. Out. Reggie couldn’t have spoken to Jughead without bloodshed and making the situation a million times worse. This...is a disaster. The plan she and Veronica had carefully plotted out on the way home from Pop’s last night would have to be significantly altered if Reggie had put his two cents into the pot.

     “Stop freaking out, Maria Rainer -”

     “Really, Reg, the Sound of Music?”

     “Blond and brave, anyway, chill. I helped. You’re welcome.” His confident words were belied by the fact that he was picking at his cuticles and avoiding eye contact.

     “How did you help?” Betty threw a binder into her locker with a little too much force. 

     “The thing is, you let him get too far off the leash, he started to forget where home is. He joined that gang because you let him forget that you’re the greatest good he needs to fight for.”

     “Really Reggie. Some girls don’t need to keep a guy on a leash.”

     “I’m sure that’s true, but let's be honest for a minute here Betts, you’re not some girls.”

     “Reggie-”

     “No, for real, I’m not being anything about this. You need a guy who knows you’re all in. He needs to make sure he’s making you happy because after all your shit Betts, you need to be happy, and you don't put yourself first. Jughead did that for a while, you were his true North, but the SouthSide, it gave him another reading, and he put the Serpents first.”

     “I am the one who broke up with him.”

     “There is no way he didn’t know something was up. Betty, I saw you, you were screaming to be saved. I thought one of your harem was gonna step up, or I would have. PSA, next time? I’m not waiting for Archie or Jughead, or Veronica, or Kevin, or Cheryl to save you. I’ll be there Betty. Just like you always are.”

     “Reggie. The thought is sweet, but I saved myself. Really, though what did you say to Jughead?”

     “Trade secret. And don’t do that. Don’t act like needing people makes you weak or less than the awesome chick you are. That’s your creepy worse half’s thing. But fair warning, he’s coming to you today needy and insecure. Make him work for it. Make that collar good and tight.”

     “Again Reg, not all girls are into leashes.”

     He chuckled and put a little distance between them before replying.“I talked to Chuck, Betts. Not all girls are, true, but the good ones?” He turned and threw over his shoulder “Yeah, you are.”

     “REGGIE!” Her indignation caused her voice to crack. He chuckled and waved goodbye.

     Betty stared into her locker as her thoughts raced. The thing about Reggie and Jughead Betty knows, is that they’re both really great at knowing people. They have an innate sense for what makes others tick, and how to get under a person’s skin. If Reggie said that Jughead is coming to her today, primed to concede and grovel a little, then Jughead probably is. An apologetic Jughead is a game changer, and would be a present for which Reggie deserved some sort of homemade good. Not that she’s giving credence to any of that leash stuff, but it's a mood that is definitely going to make her conversation with Juggie a lot easier. For the first time, Betty had hope that Jughead could forgive her, and they could rebuild the trust the Black Hood fractured. She smiled as she closed her locker and started off towards her next class, plans forming. Reggie’s always liked brownies. 


	7. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The "Thank you"

     Reggie opened his locker the next day to find a blue gift box on top of his morning books. No card, no note, nothing. He opened the box to find a golden brown dessert, sprinkled throughout with bits of caramel and pecans. “Heh. My favorite. Blondies. Good for you, Princess. Get your man.”

 

     If a small part of him mourned what could have been an opportunity had he not pushed the two back together, a bigger part knew that he had laid his groundwork, Jughead had other things to worry about, and Betty wouldn't listen to him about the leash. Reggie was confident that the long game was just beginning. 


End file.
